‘That,’ she said, as she regained her composure, ‘is the story of my life. My dad told me I could be whoever I wanted to be, and then my husband finds Allah and he didn’t know who I was. Still doesn’t.’

They motored west for an hour, laughing and drinking and waving to other boats, some with families, others blasting Guns N’ Roses from their stereos. She pulled up at a small quay at a waterside park, adjacent to a bike path. He hopped off Marianne, secured the boat and joined Raven on the afterdeck, where she was laying out cheese and bread, olives and hummus.

She paused while she helped herself to hummus. ‘I was thinking about our chat the other night.’

‘Oh yes?’

‘About my brother.’

De Payns could see her discomfort and decided to take the lead. ‘You know, I’ve been thinking about that too.’

‘I didn’t want to scare you …’

‘No, no,’ said de Payns. ‘I want you to know that I’m not judging him—you know, because his lab might have a military role. He must be a very, very intelligent man. Conversations with him must be fascinating.’

She relaxed visibly. ‘You sure?’

‘Absolutely,’ said de Payns. ‘I think some of the great scientific minds have devoted themselves to military projects. Wasn’t it Archimedes who invented a more powerful catapault, at the siege of Syracuse?’

‘I’m so happy you said that. He is such a great man, and I’m really proud of him.’ She paused. ‘I’m sure the two of you would get on really well.’

De Payns tried not to look too interested. ‘You think so? Why?’

‘Because you’re interested in his field of science—and you said yourself you want to have better marketing channels into Asia and the Middle East.’

De Payns nodded casually, but his mind was spinning. He had to close this. ‘Well, who knows, Anoush? Given where I travel, maybe our paths will cross.’

She lit up. ‘Are you planning a trip to Pakistan?’

De Payns smiled, sipped on his champagne. ‘Well, I travel through these countries, but all I ever see are hotel rooms and offices. It would be good to have more leisure time there. I love ancient history, and I’ve wanted to visit some well-preserved Moghul sites in your country. It’s apparently like time travel.’

Raven beamed. ‘That would be great. I’ll be going back there for a visit myself soon. You could stay at my place.’

‘And your husband?’

She smiled and shook her head. ‘Oh no, not there. I have a little flat owned by my family. You could stay there.’

De Payns could feel the opportunity looming. ‘That’s a generous invitation, but I don’t want to bother you or put you in any kind of bad situation with your family.’

‘Don’t worry, you won’t.’

‘Well, then, it sounds like a plan. Will your brother be around?’